MURPHY, Circuit Judge. This case about feuding housemates raises a host of Fourth Amendment questions. A woman called 911 from outside her residence claiming that her housemate, Matthew Howell, had pointed a gun at her and refused to give her access to (what she said was) her car. In response, the Nashville police knocked on Howell’s front door to speak with him. When Howell opened the door, the officers smelled an illegal drug. They entered Howell’s home and arrested him for assaulting his housemate. They also temporarily handcuffed Howell’s girlfriend, Alisha Brown, while they walked through the home. Howell and Brown allege that the officers violated the Fourth Amendment by entering their home without a warrant, by arresting them without probable cause, by allowing the housemate to take the car, and by maliciously prosecuting Howell. They also allege that the officers’ municipal employer had a policy or custom of condoning warrantless home entries. But the claims against the officers all fail either because the officers’ conduct comported with the Fourth Amendment or because Howell and Brown have not shown that the officers violated clearly established law. And Howell and Brown lack adequate evidence to show an unconstitutional municipal policy or custom. We thus affirm the grant of summary judgment to the officers and municipality.

The Defendant, Michael Taylor, entered a guilty plea to arson pursuant to North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25 (1970), for which he received an agreed upon four-year sentence with the manner of service to be determined by the trial court. Following a hearing, the trial court imposed a sentence of one year in confinement followed by three years’ supervised probation. In this appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying full probation. 1 Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

A Shelby County jury convicted the Petitioner, Antonio Dodson, of three counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated robbery, one count of aggravated rape, one count of aggravated burglary, and one count of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. On appeal, this court affirmed the trial court’s judgments against the Petitioner. State v. Sherrod and Dodson, W2015-02022- CCA-R3-CD, 2017 WL 1907723 at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App. May 9, 2017) perm. app. denied (Tenn. Sept. 22, 2017). The Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, claiming ineffective assistance of counsel. After a hearing, the post-conviction court denied relief. The Petitioner appeals, maintaining that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel and that his due process rights were violated. After review, we affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment.

Defendant, Joshua Neil Blair, appeals the thirty-five-year sentence imposed for his Campbell County Criminal Court Jury convictions of felony evading arrest, vandalism, aggravated assault, and attempted second degree murder, claiming that the trial court erred by imposing partially consecutive sentences. Because the record supports the sentencing decision of the trial court, we affirm.

The Defendant, Billy Joe Anderson, pleaded guilty in the Washington County Criminal Court in case number 48319 to second degree murder, a Class A felony, and in case number 48913 to attempted first degree murder, a Class A felony. See T.C.A. §§ 39-13-210 (2018) (second degree murder); 39-13-202 (Supp. 2024) (first degree murder); 39-12-101 (2018) (criminal attempt). On appeal, the Defendant contends the trial court erred by determining that he was a Range II multiple offender based on his 2010 Florida conviction. We affirm the judgments of the trial court.

In this interlocutory appeal, both parties have filed notices of appeal. At an expedited hearing, the employee sought additional medical treatment and temporary disability benefits related to injuries he sustained when he slipped and fell at work. The court ordered the employer to provide the requested benefits but declined to order the employer to authorize treatment with the employee’s unauthorized physician for his alleged cervical spine injury. In its notice of appeal, the employer contends the trial court erred when it ordered additional medical and temporary disability benefits for the employee’s alleged left knee injury. In his notice of appeal, the employee asserts the trial court erred in declining to compel the employer to approve his unauthorized physician as his authorized treating physician moving forward. Having carefully reviewed the record, we affirm the trial court’s order in part, reverse it in part, and remand the case.

August 18, 2025 - August 22, 2025.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the 20th Judicial District Circuit Court in anticipation of the retirement of Judge Phillip R. Robinson on Oct. 17. The district serves Davidson County. The Third Circuit Court primarily handles domestic relations cases. Applicants must be licensed attorneys in Tennessee, at least 30 years old and state residents for five years, and reside in the judicial district. A public hearing for the position will be held Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. CDT at the Nashville School of Law, 4013 Armory Oaks Dr., Nashville 37204. The application and instructions are available here. Applications must be received by the Administrative Office of the Courts by noon Sept. 12. For more information, contact Assistant General Counsel John Jefferson at john.jefferson@tncourts.gov or 615-241-2687.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will host its “Exploration CLE: Does It Please the Court?” on Oct. 10 at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park in Millington from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT. The outdoor program offers three hours of CLE credit and features sessions including “Does It Please the Court?” with Tennessee Supreme Court Justices Holly Kirby and Mary Wagner; “The Ethics of Saying No” with Constance Brown, Nicole Grida, Will Perry and Faith Watson; and “Outside-of-the-Box Advocacy” with Jessica Van Dyke of the Tennessee Innocence Project. Memphis lawyers and YLD leaders Jennifer Sneed and Quinton Thompson will serve as moderators. Attendees also will enjoy a complimentary lunch and a ranger-led nature hike. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website. 

Tennessee schools can now more quickly remove some students with disabilities from their classrooms. According to The Commercial Appeal, the state Board of Education has approved an amended rule allowing schools to temporarily remove students before a formal behavioral assessment is completed or started. Under the policy, a student may be temporarily moved to a special education setting or alternative school, but the decision must be made by the student’s Individualized Education Program team rather than a single educator. Board members said the change clarifies a 2022 rule that some districts had interpreted to mean students could not be removed until an assessment was finished, a process that can take months.